I love the aura of contentment and serenity evoked in so much of Vaughan Williams' work. It reflects the meaning in Wm. Blake's famous phrase "England's green and pleasant land" that concludes his famous poem Jerusalem.
. . . I shall not cease from mental fight Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand Till we hve built Jerusalem In England's green and pleasant land."
Everyone who even pretends to be civilized would do well to contemplate the true meaning of Blake's lines.
What IS the "mental fight" of which he speaks?
What does he MEAN when he refers to "Jerusalem?" [HINT: It's NOT located in that tiny sliver of land in the Mediterranean known today as Israel.]
How does the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams, Edward Elgar, George Butterworth, Frederick Delius, William Walton, Gerald Finzi, Ivor Gurney and other late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century British composers help to ESTABLISH Blake's understanding of "Jerusalem" in the British Isles –– and beyond?
The healing and encouraging power of Beauty is tremendous. It's one of the more tragic aspects of the human conditiion that most people seem to ignore, mock, or categorically reject as "irrelevant" the very thing that could save them from the worst instincts and self-dstructive appetites they harbor in themselves.
Observing this always acts as a painfully sad reminder of what the great mass of people He came to heal and save did to Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Thank you, M'am, for doing your part to help others become more aware of the virtue in beauiful music.
Unfortunately, the adage runs true. "You can lead a camel to an oasis, but you can't force th best to drink.
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I love the aura of contentment and serenity evoked in so much of Vaughan Williams' work. It reflects the meaning in Wm. Blake's famous phrase "England's green and pleasant land" that concludes his famous poem Jerusalem.
ReplyDelete. . . I shall not cease from mental fight
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
Till we hve built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land."
Everyone who even pretends to be civilized would do well to contemplate the true meaning of Blake's lines.
What IS the "mental fight" of which he speaks?
What does he MEAN when he refers to "Jerusalem?" [HINT: It's NOT located in that tiny sliver of land in the Mediterranean known today as Israel.]
How does the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams, Edward Elgar, George Butterworth, Frederick Delius, William Walton, Gerald Finzi, Ivor Gurney and other late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century British composers help to ESTABLISH Blake's understanding of "Jerusalem" in the British Isles –– and beyond?
Cass Alexander Adelphi said
ReplyDeleteThe healing and encouraging power of Beauty is tremendous. It's one of the more tragic aspects of the human conditiion that most people seem to ignore, mock, or categorically reject as "irrelevant" the very thing that could save them from the worst instincts and self-dstructive appetites they harbor in themselves.
Observing this always acts as a painfully sad reminder of what the great mass of people He came to heal and save did to Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Thank you, M'am, for doing your part to help others become more aware of the virtue in beauiful music.
Unfortunately, the adage runs true. "You can lead a camel to an oasis, but you can't force th best to drink.
Another perfect selection for a Sunday. Thanks AOW..
ReplyDeleteJohannes von Sauerbraten said
ReplyDeleteRVW's music is about as stimulating as watching a bunch of cows eat grass in a pasture.